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Spurry buckwheat facts for kids

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Spurry buckwheat
Eriogonumspergulinum.jpg
Scientific classification
Genus:
Eriogonum
Species:
spergulinum

Eriogonum spergulinum, also known as spurry buckwheat, is a type of wild buckwheat plant. It's a small, delicate plant that grows in different parts of the western United States.

Meet the Spurry Buckwheat Varieties

This plant has three different types, called varieties. Two of these varieties are very special because they are found only in one specific place: the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. This means they are endemic to that area, like a unique treasure found nowhere else!

The third variety is more common. It's called reddingianum, or the Redding buckwheat. You can find this type growing in many places, from California all the way to Idaho.

What Does Spurry Buckwheat Look Like?

Eriogonum spergulinum plant
Eriogonum spergulinum plant, with thin stems and small "floating" flowers

The spurry buckwheat is a plant that lives for only one year. It can grow in different ways: sometimes it spreads low on the ground, and other times it stands up tall. It can reach about 40 centimeters (about 16 inches) in length, including its flowers.

This plant often looks quite bare, with only a few thin, long leaves near the bottom of its stem and a few more along the stem. Its flowering stems are very thin and branch out a lot. They hold small groups of tiny white flowers. These flowers have dark lines down their middle, which makes them look like they are floating. People often say they look like "baby's-breath" flowers, which are popular in flower arrangements.

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